Upcoming
by absolutelycancerous
Summary: It makes him laugh (only a little bit) when she asks him to help her into the bath.


It makes him laugh (only a little bit) when she asks him to help her into the bath.

Because she makes a _huge_ deal out of it, insisting _she_ can get the water running (which she can't, because she can't bend over that far with her belly) and that _she_ can step into the tub herself (which she can't, because not seeing her toes makes her a little uneasy on her feet).

Soul just grins when he hears her yell for him, the embarrassment evident in her voice.

"Don't laugh at me," she huffs, because, okay, it's a tiny bit adorable seeing her stand naked, pouting—if it weren't for the baby nearly being done, he'd probably find it a bit more sexy than cute. Nevertheless, Soul turns the faucet off in the tub, offering his hands to Maka to help her step in.

She usually takes showers, but before bed, she likes baths, just because they help her sleep a bit easier—probably as effective as the glass of hot milk trick, but Soul doesn't sass her about it, just because he's been witness to her crying because she can't fall asleep and _that's_ just not healthy for anyone.

Maka settles in the water, sighing happily at the fact she doesn't have to be on her feet for the time being, and blushes a little when she sees Soul sitting down just outside the tub.

"I'll just yell when I need help out," she offers; she feels like she's being a bother, but she can't help it—she's _naturally_ as stubborn as a bull!

But Soul, the obnoxious gentleman he is, just rests his chin on the lip of the bath, finds her hand in the water and casually links up their fingers, smiles a little when their rings rub against one another's. He's so sweet; she really doesn't understand how she got so lucky.

After a small time of silence, Soul smiles at her, a little reserved, and unlinks their hands so he can point to her belly.

"What?"

"Can I touch?"

She laughs, taking his hand and placing it on the highest point of her swelled-up belly (she hopes that's what he was implying on touching) and spreading his fingers out. "You don't have to _ask_," Maka tells him with a snort, "it's _your_ baby, too, y'know."

And Soul smiles—he's been doing that more, lately. Not silly grins or smirks, where he quirks up his lip to bare his teeth, but just _smiles_, something that reaches his eyes and makes him look more delighted than spunky. One side of his lips quirk higher, like they do with his shit-eating grins, but it's more endearing when he's not trying to make ugly faces at her.

He rubs her belly a little, like he's feeling for something, and Maka finds herself spewing, "She doesn't like to move much this late," and covers her mouth when she realizes _she said "she"._

Soul's positively beaming.

"A girl? Really?"

And he's so happy, like a fucking puppy waiting for a treat to be placed before him, Maka can't help when she tears up a little and nods, placing her hand over his and squeezing.

"Sorry," she croaks, and Soul must think she's crying out of sadness for ruining the surprise for him, because he makes her sit up so he can hug her, uncaring that she's wet and getting his shirt and hair and face wet.

"I'm not mad, don't be sorry."

"I'm not upset!" She amends, with a shaky voice and a smile that might actually rip her cheeks. She wipes her eyes with a wet hand, and laughs a little when she finds such task redundant. "I'm not, you just—I like seeing you this happy."

Soul smiles again, makes her choke up with the action, kisses her all over her wet face before he lets her get comfortable once again, rubbing her belly that comically sits above the surface of the water higher than any other bit of her.

"You know when she likes to kick," Soul reminds her, and Maka feels her cheeks heat up a bit.

"Of course, _I'm_ stuck with her all the time." A little pat to her belly to remind _him_ of such. This is his handiwork, after all; baby was less of a major planning and more of a goodness-gracious-look-at-our-luck! Not that it makes her any less special—it makes her a little _more_ special, she thinks.

"Does it feel weird?"

"What? Kicking? Or the baby?"

"Both, I guess."

She shrugs, slides a little deeper into the water when she realizes how cold the bath has gotten compared to when she first got in. "It's a little weird," she admits, her own hands coming to hold the sides of her large belly. "I'm not used to being so big, or wanting to eat chicken with whipped cream all over it," she laughs while Soul grimaces and shakes his head, "but it's not… a bad weird. Just different, I guess."

Soul looks almost a little relieved with her explanation, and pats her tummy gently before smiling again. "Alright then, little mama, you ready to get out?"

Maka smiles, blushes probably a whole lot at the nickname, and nods a little as she holds her arms up for him to help her, which takes a little finesse and skill that Soul _barely_ seems to possess in order to keep her from slipping and breaking her face on the tile.

He gets her a towel, and kisses her face while he pulls it around her to help dry her off. He makes the stupid, corny, "I feel like there's something between us" joke that makes Maka both groan and laugh hysterically, but she blames the latter on the fact she's absolutely exhausted.

She's even too lazy for pajamas (a thing that's happened ever since the baby made her want to flop into bed and sleep for days) and, while Soul thinks it's a very nice thing to have his naked wife cuddled in bed with him, it's also very, extremely cute when she legitimately _waddles_ to bed and very nearly _struggles_ to get situated, her belly's just that big!

He snuggles up beside her, feels himself grinning when she rolls over to face him on her side, because she doesn't like spooning like this, it makes her feel huge and gross. So, he kisses her face and rests his hand on her waist, smiling wide and tired at her and she does the same right back at him.

"Night, daddy," she mumbles—she'd like for Soul to be "papa" but, until the baby is here, she refrains from calling him that; it makes her feel filthy and weird, like a slut with daddy issues.

Soul just kisses her again, with a quiet, "Night, little mama," and finds Maka's already asleep when he remembers to flick the light on the nightstand off, a tiny hand on her tummy like a subconscious action of protection.


End file.
